34 I'm not a published writer but I'm an emerging writer. 2009 was the year where I first started getting my stuff out there in many different mediums (including this blog...obviously).
The summer of 2010 was my first experience with the publishing industry. I did a ton of research about different literary magazines across Canada and spent a ton of time at post offices sending manuscripts to various places across the country. Even after 16 rejection letters I know that there is no point in giving up and taking it personally. Honestly, I'm not a leading authority on the publishing industry or anything in fact everything I know about it comes from research, recent experience, and learning about it on my own. I have absolutely no problem with the publishing industry at all, Ill begin by saying that because everything I'm about to say might give off the impression that I do. I write for myself and I'm never really trying to tailor to a particular audience or anything. I just sort of...write because I enjoy it and sharing it with people when it is polished and ready is good as well. The frustrating thing is that I'm yet to find that proper home for it all to go so I thought "hey why don't I try self-publishing". I personally believe that it is a good way to start out because, until that day that it finds a more traditional venue it can at least find a place to start out. I've made my own zine before but that only worked after lots of experimenting and mistakes. I mentioned the problems I had with chapbooks already (my own weaknesses) and that left me a little discouraged and unsure of what to do. I don't know what direction this new story is going to go but I want it to go in some sort of direction and it wouldn't have a home being published by a publisher. I'm going to think this over a little bit more but based on the way the story was put together and my own circumstances I strongly believe that self-publishing is a good option. That's what that choice is all about: circumstances and preferences because in the end it won't matter as long as the finished product is in good shape. I have to think this over because I don't know what I'm going to do about this but at least I have a vague idea about what will happen with the finished product which I of course want to be more than a vague idea.
I've been doing more research on publishing today. Here are two youtube videos I found extremely useful.
1. "How to write a book: publishing vs. self-publishing":(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAiPeGSAORo)
2."Self-published books: the ugly truth": (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBb-SCd1YlI)
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